Immigrant parents and mother tongue language education in Singapore’s bilingual system

Bilingualism has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy since 1959 (Lee & Phua, 2020). Given Singapore’s diverse population, it is crucial to understand how immigrant parents from various cultural backgrounds perceive and engage with the country’s bilingual education system. This paper investigates the perceptions and involvement of immigrant parents in the Mother Tongue Language (MTL) component of Singapore’s bilingual education framework. The study focuses on two groups: Chinese immigrants from mainland China and non-Chinese immigrants from countries such as India and the Philippines. The research highlights immigrant parents’ positive views on bilingual education framework as a benefit of migrating to Singapore for their children’s education. Parents consider factors like future career prospects, cultural preservation, social integration, and reducing academic pressure when selecting their children’s MTL. While some face challenges in navigating their children’s MTL learning, others find their children adapt well. Nevertheless, all parents actively engage in efforts to enhance their children’s MTL proficiency, whether by enrolling them in tuition classes, incorporating language-focused activities at home, or through other supportive measures.